Dealing With Tropes

with Tamara Girardi

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Zoom Webinar – 1:00 PM Eastern

Tropes are a fundamental aspect of fiction writing that can help writers create memorable and impactful stories. A trope is a common or familiar theme or device, such as the “love triangle” or a “hero’s journey.” These familiar elements can be used to create familiarity for readers and to help writers tell their stories more effectively. Tropes can also help writers by creating a framework for a story, assisting in structuring plot and directing the narrative. However, tropes should also be subverted when possible or used in unexpected ways to create a more nuanced and original story. In this session, we will discuss common tropes that writers may want to avoid and those that writers should embrace. We will brainstorm together how to subvert the tropes and strategize ways to surprise readers.

Tamara Girardi writes books for children and teens. Her debut young adult novel, Gridiron Girl, tells the story of Julia Medina who quits the volleyball team to compete against her boyfriend for the starting quarterback position. Three additional sports novels in the Iron Valley Vikings series followed in 2022. Above the Fold is the first book in Tamara’s second series, all about teens exploring their dreams and their true selves through exhibits at a popular, mardi-gras-esque hotspot called Carnivalesque. Above the Fold released in January of 2023, and its sequel, Behind the Mask followed in February, both from Wise Wolf Books. Tamara’s debut board book, Why, Daddy? Why? was named an Editor’s Pick by Amazon. Also an academic, Tamara is a college English professor. She lives in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and four adorably rambunctious children.

Register for the Zoom link here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dealing-with-tropes-tickets-560501975497